Nonpetroleum share of transportation energy at highest level since 1954In the United States, petroleum is by far the most-consumed transportation fuel. But recently the share of fuels other than petroleum for U.S. transportation has increased to its highest level since 1954, a time when the use of coal-fired steam locomotives was declining and automobile use was growing rapidly.
After nearly 50 years of relative stability at about 4%, the nonpetroleum share started increasing steadily in the mid-2000s, reaching 8.5% in 2014.
41% of U.S. public transit buses use alt fuels, hybrid technologyAPTA's latest research shows that 41.3% of U.S. public transportation buses were using alternative fuels or hybrid technology as of January 1, 2014. This is in striking contrast to the 2.1% of automobiles using alternative-fuels in 2013.
16.9% of public transit buses were hybrid-electric. 16.7% used compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) and blends. Biodiesel is used by 7.4% of public transit buses.
Water Reclamation
• Albany, N.Y. – The Capital District Transportation Authority reduces water consumption, saving tens of thousands of gallons of portable water each year, through a reclamation system installed at bus washers in each of its three bus divisions. The system captures the majority of the water that is used to wash buses, reclaims it, filters the dirt and uses it for the next bus.
Record 10.8 Billion Trips Taken On U.S. Public Transportation In 2014Americans took 10.8 billion trips on public transportation in 2014, which is the highest annual public transit ridership number in 58 years.
“Despite the steep decline in gas prices at the end of last year, public transit ridership increased. This shows that once people start riding public transit, they discover that there are additional benefits besides saving money. People are changing their travel behavior and want more travel options. “In the past people had a binary choice. You either took public transit, most likely a bus, or you drove a car. Now there are multiple options with subways, light rail, streetcars, commuter trains, buses, ferries, cars and shared use vehicles.”
From 1995-2014 public transit ridership increased by 39 percent, almost double the population growth, which was up 21 percent.
Light rail (modern light rail, streetcars, trolleys, and heritage trolleys) ridership increased 3.6 percent in 2014. Heavy rail (subways and elevated trains) ridership increased by 3.3 percent across the country. Commuter rail ridership increased by 2.9 percent in 2014.
10 YEARS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY PROGRESSA Decade of Change
The last decade (2004 – 2014) saw a steady increase in the global demand for renewable energy. Although the last decade has seen tremendous advances in the
electricity sector, the renewable heating and cooling sector has lagged behind. Given that the share of heating and cooling in final energy demand is much larger than that of electricity, fostering growth of renewable energy in this sector is crucial. In the transport sector, the use of renewable energy in the form
of biofuels grew at a rapid pace for much of the past decade. Biodiesel production increased twelve-fold, ethanol production, already at a higher starting point, grew three-fold.
Global perceptions of renewable energy have shifted considerably. Ten years ago people widely acknowledged the potential of renewable energy, but large-scale deployment still had to be demonstrated. Now 10 years on, continuing technology advances and rapid deployment of many renewable energy technologies—particularly in the electricity sector—have amply demonstrated their potential.
By 2013, renewables supplied approximately 19% of the world’s final energy consumption, a little less than half of which came from traditional biomass. Heat energy from modern renewable sources grew from an estimated less than 1% in 2004 to 10% of total final energy use in 2014; hydropower grew slower than the overall increase in power demand, with the result that its share dropped slightly to 3.8% in 2014. All other new renewables used for power generation gained ground and increased their primary energy share from 0.5 to 3.5% over the past decade. Furthermore, the last decade saw an increase in initiatives to link electric transport systems with renewable energy, particularly at the city and regional levels.
Capacities
Source 2004 2013
Total power capacity(GW) 3800 5800
Renewable capacity(GW) 800 1560
solar hot water(GWth) 98 326
biopower(GW) 39 88
All Biofuels(billion liters) 31 114
Investment(billion $) 40 214
Total renewable power capacity—excluding large hydro—saw a sevenfold increase during the past decade; from 85 GW in 2004 to 560 GW by the end of 2013. Wind power saw a similar increase moving from a total installed capacity of 48 GW in 2004 to 318 GW in 2014. Solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation grew by a factor of 70, from 2.6 GW to 139GW.
OCEAN ENERGY
Ocean energy is still at an early stage of development and can be compared to the state of the wind industry in the early 1980s. There are currently numerous designs available with a correspondingly low standardisation rate; two clear indicators of how young the sector is. Governments and regional authorities continued to support ocean energy research and development, while major power corporations increased their presence in the sector, which is seeing measured but steady progress.
Global Expansion of Renewable Energy
By early 2014, at least 144 countries had renewable energy targets and 138 countries had renewable energy support policies in place, up from 48 countries in 2004.
Policy Stability and Predictability are Key
Stability and predictability of policy frameworks are needed to underpin sustained deployment of renewable energy. The industry needs predictability of policy frameworks in order to build up production capacities, to develop new technologies and to expand skilled employees in many countries. The last decade has shown that those countries which developed stable and predictable renewable energy policy frameworks are those that were most successful in building a local renewable energy sector and workforce. Bigger markets also result in economics of scale, lowering costs—especially for wind and solar PV—as was clearly seen over the last decade.
Renewable Power: First sector to be mainstreamed
Renewable power generation technologies have arrived in the mainstream market. In 2004, when REN21 began operating, the global market share of new renewable-based power plants was only 8%; by 2013 this market share increased 29% (excluding large hydro) or 40% including large hydro.
The Renewable Heating and Cooling Sector Lacks Progress
To achieve the transition towards renewable energy, more attention needs to be paid to the heating and cooling and transport sectors, as well as to integrated approaches that facilitate the use of renewables in these sectors. Globally, heating and cooling accounts for almost half of total global energy demand. However, this sector continues to lag far behind the renewable power sector when it comes to policies that support technology development and deployment.
Facilitating More-rigorous Adaptation of the Energy
System to Increase Shares of Renewable Energy Today, the penetration of renewables is no longer a question of technology or economics but one of developing more flexible markets and smarter energy systems. Thus, the policy focus should be on transforming power grids to become more flexible, increasing demand-side integration, and integrating power systems with transport, buildings, industry, and heating and cooling sectors, with the support of regulations, business, and finance models.
Creating a Level Playing Field for the Entire Energy Sector
Global subsidies for fossil fuels and nuclear power remain high despite reform efforts. The exact level of subsides is unknown; estimates range from USD 544 billion (World Bank) to USD 1.9 trillion per year (International Monetary Fund), depending on how ”subsidy“ is defined and calculated. Whatever number is chosen, the fact is that subsidies for fossil fuels and nuclear power are significantly higher than financial support for renewables.
Public Transportation Industry Is a Green IndustryAPTA’s latest research shows that 46.9 percent of U.S. public transportation buses were using alternative fuels or hybrid technology as of January 1, 2015. This is in striking contrast to the 2.5 percent of automobiles using alternative-fuels in 2014 (the most recent year that data is available).
APTA statistics for 2015 show that 22.3 percent of U.S. public transit buses report using compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) and blends. Hybrid buses comprise 16.7 percent of U.S. transit buses, while biodiesel public transit buses account for 7.4 percent. Other alternative fuels, such as propane and hydrogen, account for 0.3 percent.
Americans Took 10.6 Billion Trips on Public Transportation in 2015Americans took 10.6 billion trips on public transportation in 2015, the third highest annual ridership in ten years. Compared to public transit ridership in 2014, there was a small overall decline among all modes of 1.3 percent.
“Considering the significant decline in gas prices, public transit ridership remained strong.” In 2015 the average price of a gallon of gasoline was $2.52, which was 92 cents (26.7%) lower than in 2014. Gas prices in the fourth quarter of 2015 were $2.26 – even lower than the annual average. Research conducted by APTA shows that on the average, every 10 percent decrease in gas prices leads to a 1.8 percent decrease in public transportation ridership.
Noting that from 1995-2015 public transit ridership increased by 37 percent, almost double the population growth which increased by 21 percent, APTA CEO and President Michael Melaniphy said, “What’s clear is that, despite low gas prices and higher fares in some areas, people want transportation options and public transportation is an essential part of any local transportation network.”
ROCKMAN wrote:Any progress is good progress. But during that period oil reached $145/bbl and typically ranged between $70 and $100 per bbl. NG hit $13.30/MCF and ran for $6 to $8 per MCF for the first half of the period.
And now the inflation adjusted price of NG is at the lowest level in more then 10 years. Likewise except for several months in early '09 oil is at its lowest price in more then 10 years.
Bottom line: how ever much higher fossil fuel prices provided financial incentive to build out the alts much of it has disappeared.
Alfred Tennyson wrote:We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
WEAK CLEAN ENERGY INVESTMENT IN THIRD QUARTER10 October 2016 – Global clean energy investment had its weakest quarter since 2013. Investment in renewable energy and energy smart technologies worldwide totalled $42.4bn in the third quarter of 2016, down 31% from the second quarter and a striking 43% from the equivalent three-month period of 2015. Chinese investment was down 51% compared with Q3 2015, at $14.4bn, while Japan was down 56% at $3.5bn. The US was down 40% on Q3 last year.
“These numbers for Q3 are worryingly low even compared to the subdued trend we saw in Q1 and Q2. A vital point to bear in mind is that there have been sharp reductions in the cost of PV systems, so that much more solar capacity can be added this year than last, per million dollars. However it is also clear that, after last year’s record investment levels, some key markets such as China and Japan are pausing for a deep breath. Also, in many countries, electricity demand growth is undershooting government forecasts. My view is that the Q3 figures are somewhere between a ‘flash crash’ blip, and a ‘new normal’." The global Q3 investment figures could be revised upwards in due course, if more transactions come to light. However, with the Q1 and Q2 data an average of 23% down on the equivalent quarters of 2015, it looks certain that clean energy investment in 2016 will end up well below last year’s record of $348.5bn.
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